The American also fears the players were suffering from an inferiority complex
in the recent defeat to Manchester United.

The comments, in an interview with American magazine Sports Illustrated, risk
reviving the tension between Benitez and Hicks and his co-owner George Gillett.

Hicks, 61, revisited the row over transfers, which saw Benitez publicly accuse
the American duo of failing to understand the European transfer market.

'We wanted to see what we could do with the players we had already bought,'
said Hicks. 'We just wanted to see if the team was going to gel. Then he
(Benitez) went to a press conference and kind of pouted and answered in the same
way 20 times: 'I'm focusing on my team.'

'The media made up everything from that point forward. They made up that we
were going to fire him, that I told him to shut up, that there was a battle
between Benitez and the Americans. It's really funny to watch.'

Hicks was dismayed at the players' attitude against United at Anfield when a
1-0 defeat left Liverpool way off the pace in the Premier League title race.

He said: 'Our team played like they mentally didn't think they were good
enough to win. They played tight.'